How to Fish a Fluke for Bass

The fluke is one of the most versatile baits. However, not a lot of anglers are aware of its capabilities. The fluke can be your last resort when nothing else seems to be working, especially when you are dealing with large fish like bass. This is why you should know how to fish a fluke for bass.

How to Fish a Fluke for Bass

Bass fishing is a very popular activity, especially around this time of the year, and a very fun one when you have friends and family around. There is no greater feeling than when you can show off your fishing skills by throwing a line and catching a large bass with ease.

Using a fluke as bait for bass can make your fishing experience much smoother. Bass tend to be easily turned off by some baits like the rattling hard-sided crankbaits and jerk baits. The fluke becomes your best option. Its versatility and flexible nature have made it the choice of both professional and beginner anglers in catching bass.

Understanding how to fish a fluke for bass is nothing too serious. Once you combine the right rigging technique with the right fishing technique, you are set to go. Before considering fishing techniques, you can try to take a look at the various ways you can rig a fluke for bass.

How to Rig a Fluke for Bass

There are different ways to rig a fluke for bass, given its versatile nature. How you rig your fluke can influence your fishing experience and even your choice of fishing technique. Here are some of the various ways to rig a fluke for bass:

Weightless Texas Rig

The weightless Texas rig is one of the most popular ways to fish a fluke. This simple outstanding technique allows you to make use of the whole fluke while giving you quick results. Just run the point of your hook through the fluke’s nose till it comes out of the belly of the fluke.

This ensures that the hook is secure enough to hold the bass when they strike. This technique works with a wide range of hooks, including the traditional worm hooks, straight shank hooks, and the extra wide gap hooks (EWG).

This technique comes in handy when you are fishing closer to the surface as the bait imitates helpless or fleeing prey. However, it could require some practice to master perfectly. For amazing results, try this with a slow wide-seeping cadence or a faster twitch.

Tokyo Rig

The Tokyo rig is a technique you can resort to when you cannot seem to locate where the bass is. This technique allows you to cover a wider area and narrow down the location of the bass. All you have to do is tie your fluke to a Tokyo.

This technique is particularly useful in areas with heavy cover. However, it is not the most suitable technique for fishing topwater or in shallow areas.

Scrounger

This technique offers anglers a balance between finesse fishing and power fishing, and it easy a pretty simple way to fish a fluke for bass. Just get a scrounger jig head, the one with a plastic collar around it. Once you attach your bait to it, you are good to go.

You generally want to get the balance right because any slight imbalance can affect the bait’s performance. This technique can draw in a lot of basses even in overfished areas because of its unique appearance. However, this could also be a problem when the bass starts fighting over the bait and damage it in the process.

Double Fluke Rig

Fishing for bass when there are several baitfish around can be quite difficult. This is because the bass often has a lot of options. To realize any success in such conditions, your bait must stand out. Hence, the need for a double rig that is more appealing instead of a single one.

The three-way swivel or two standard swivels are the preferred options to go with when trying this technique. For the three-way swivel:

• All you have to do is attach your main line to the swivel using one of the rings
• You can then attach two different leaders with a fluke each to the other rings on the swivel.

For the two standard swivels option:

• You can just attach a fluke to your leaders, one longer than the other
• Before you tie the longer swivel to your mainline, you want to take the shorter one and slide it up the mainline.

The downside to this technique is that it tends to get tangled a lot faster and can easily get snagged in rocks.

This technique is a relatively new one. However, it is very effective when fishing for bass, especially where fluke is not a common baitfish. Like the scrounger technique, it also presents anglers with a balance between power fishing and finesse.

Neko Rig

Adding a nail weight into the nose of the fluke can improve your fishing experience with this technique. It ensures that the fluke’s nose points downward, allowing it to stir up some mud at the bottom of the lake and improve its motion. Combine this with slow and steady drags, and the bass cannot resist.

The Neko rig technique is pretty easy to fish with and is most suitable in deeper and unclear water. However, there is a tendency for it to get snagged by debris at the bottom of the water.

Underspin Rig

This versatile technique is just like the scrounger technique, just with extra finesse. It is a great choice when fishing for bass in clear deep water. Experienced and beginner anglers like this technique because you can fish it in a wide range of depths and styles.

Get a jig head that has a spinner blade attached to it. Slide on the fluke, and you are set to go. The underspin rig technique allows the fluke to fall faster in a vertical motion reaching farther into the depth of the water. You can catch the attention of bass using a yoyo motion or pausing at intervals during the retrieve.

It could, however, be difficult when casting long distances. It can take some time to master some of the effective motions that draw in the bass.

Common Fishing Techniques to Use When Fishing Fluke for Bass

There are certain fishing techniques that are more suitable for each of the rigging techniques. A good combination will improve your fishing experience. Here are common fishing techniques you can pair with your rigging techniques:

Bottom Bumping

When using a technique like the Neko rigging technique, this fishing technique is an ideal pair. You can add some extra sound by fixing a glass bead right above the hook eye or inserting rattle pods into the fluke.

Slow Retrieve

This is a common and effective fishing technique that requires a lot of patience. Just patiently and slowly reel in your fluke. The slow movement tends to mimic the movement of bottom-feeding baitfish. By matching their behavior and movement, you can draw in a very large bass.

Twitch And Pause

This is perhaps the most common technique for fishing a fluke. You twitch your fluke a few times in quick succession, and then you pause for a bit. This causes the fluke to mimic the erratic movements of an injured or struggling baitfish and draws in bass seeking to take a bite.

Conclusion

Bass are very picky fish and have a very selective diet. This means that there are not as many options to use as baitfish. Switching to the fluke when nothing else seems to be working can oftentimes be the solution to your troubles. Combine these techniques well, and you are sure to get the best results.